Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Atlanta, GA

April 25, 1988Upson County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 25, 1988, 8:45 PM EDT for Upson County, Georgia. It was in force for 20 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 25, 1988, 8:45 PM EDT (00:45 UTC)
Expired: Apr 25, 1988, 9:05 PM EDT
In force: 20 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Whole counties

County Upson County, GA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 151 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1027 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 81 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 39 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KATL 260046
SVRATL
GAC293-260105-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
845 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ATLANTA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  905 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN CENTRAL GEORGIA
          ...UPSON

AT 842 PM EDT RADAR WAS INDICATING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MIDWAY
BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND THOMASTON MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
MANCHESTER POLICE REPORTED DIME SIZE HAIL WITH THIS STORM AT 840 PM
EDT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOxR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM. REMEMBER THAT SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASONALY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE
OR NO NOTICE.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 6:04 PM EDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
6 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NEWTON WALTON AND MORGAN COUNTIES AT
6PM EDT MOVING EASTWARD AT 60MPH..

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 83 AND TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 84
IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EDT...TORNADO WATCH 85 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EDT.
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER WARNINGS..

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 6:19 PM EDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
615PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN A LINE FROM NEAR ATHENS TO NEAF MADISON
GEORGIA MOVING EASTWARD AT 60MPH..  PERSONS IN OCONEE..MORGAN..
OGLETHORPE .. GREENE .. AND TALIAFERRO COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN
VERY ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 83 AND TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 84
IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EDT...TORNADO WATCH 85 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EDT.
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER WARNINGS..

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 6:35 PM EDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
615PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN A LINE FROM NEAR ATHENS TO NEAF MADISON
GEORGIA MOVING EASTWARD AT 60MPH..  PERSONS IN OCONEE..MORGAN..
OGLETHORPE .. GREENE .. AND TALIAFERRO COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN
VERY ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 83 AND TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 84
IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EDT...TORNADO WATCH 85 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EDT.
POSSBILE...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION FOR
THE LATEST WEATHER WARNINGS..

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 7:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
730 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

...TORNADO WATCH 84 AND 85 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR ALL
OF CENTRAL GEORGIA.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR BIBB AND MONROE COUNTY HAS
EXPIRED.

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN CENTRAL GEORGIA WITHIN A 25 MILE
RADIUS OF MACON. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR.

GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE IN MACON AND
3/4 INCH IN THE BLOOMINGFIELD AREA AROUND 700 PM. NUMEROUS REPORTS
OF MARBLE SIZE HAIL WERE RECEIVED FROM BIBB AND HOUSTON COUNTIES.

PEOPLE IN CENTRAL GEORGIA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE STILL STRONG AND COULD PRODUCE DAMAGE. MOTORIST SHOULD AVOID
DRIVING THROUGH WATER ON ROADS.

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 7:34 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
730 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WEST CENTRAL AND PART
OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL 9 PM EDT.

WEATHER RADAR AT COLUMBUS INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS NEAR COLUMBUS AND
ELSEWHERE ONLY A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE SHOWN ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
AND SOUTH WEST GEORGIA. ALL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT
60 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME
OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE INTO
AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

Special weather statement, Apr 25, 8:15 PM EDT, 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MACON GA
810 PM EDT MON APR 25 1988

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL GEORGIA UNTIL
900 PM EDT...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM FOR
LAURENS...MONTGOMERY...PUTNAM...TELFAIR...TREUTLEN...AND WHEELER.

AT 810 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA.
THE STRONGEST STRETCHED FROM MONTICELLO TO FORSYTH AND FROM NORTH OF
DUBLIN SOHUTHWEST TO NEAR PERRYAND HAWKINSVILLE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT
55 MILES AN HOUR.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 25, 8:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Telfair	47 min
Apr 25, 8:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Monroe	47 min
Apr 25, 9:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Turner	47 min
Apr 25, 10:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Ben Hill, Irwin	42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1988 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.